


Loyalty

by PoisonJack



Series: Seven Heavenly Virtues [6]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, General au, M/M, Rhys is Handsome Jack's Personal Assistant, Scars, mentioned torture but no details, more like the aftermath of it, rhys is more badass than anyone else. even jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-19 20:27:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17008644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonJack/pseuds/PoisonJack
Summary: Rhys is captured and tortured down on Pandora, on the brink of death, but Jack gets to him in time. Rhys is more impressed with himself that he kept all the company secrets than the torture he underwent. Jack is there to kiss his scars and stay by his side.Migrating some older works from tumblr :) This is part of my Seven Heavenly Virtues series, to accompany the Seven Deadly Sins series.





	Loyalty

**Author's Note:**

> There’s so many opposites to the 7 deadly sins that I went with one of the general themes of each “virtue” on wikipedia lol.
> 
>  
> 
> _Kindness- satisfaction, loyalty, compassion, integrity_

Jack wished that this time he’d given in. He wished he’d agreed to the demands, the ransom, instead of telling the bandits he’d make _them_ pay. Above everything, he wished Rhys would have given them what they’d wanted instead of keeping his lips sealed. Anything would have been preferable to his current reality.

As full Hyperion forces stormed the empty compound, expecting an ambush at the very least or a trap at best, Jack wished upon wish he’d gotten there just a little bit sooner. 

There was blood all over the room, evidence of a struggle. Pieces of delicate machinery strewn about that should have never been seen; should have been part of a whole. A message scrawled on the wall in blood, another carved into mutilated flesh. And Jack wished he could take it all back.

Rhys was dead. He was dead and it was Jack’s fault and he was dead Jack should have paid the ransom and he was dead. 

And the smallest breeze of breath caressed Jack’s ear as he sat there devoid of feeling, and his heart clenched painfully in his chest as the younger man was hanging on by invisible threads. He got one _small_ chance to wrench it all back, and by god he would.

Jack didn’t move him. He didn’t dare move him. They didn’t leave the facility for days as he had everything and everyone focused on getting the younger man stabilized enough for a shuttle ride.

Rhys looked like a corpse. And he continued looking like a corpse even after he’d woken up weeks later back on Helios. He was barely coherent with the amount of drugs in his system and didn’t know where he was or even who he was until some days after that as well.

But more time after that, Rhys’ wounds on the mend and coherent again, the younger man was all laughs and self-satisfaction about the ordeal. _Completely_ opposite from what everyone expected, most of all Jack. The CEO was for once rendered speechless as Rhys told the doctor what he remembered, what they did to him, and how he hadn’t given up one _scrap_ of information about Hyperion. 

The doctor checked the amount of drugs in his IV and his charts to try to account for Rhys’ good mood, rather disturbed by the things the younger man said. Someone who had gone through what he had and lived to tell about it, let alone have to _remember_ it, should _not_ be in high spirits.

It _wasn’t_ the drugs, Rhys told them. He was fine. He was just pleased with himself was all. Someone like _him_ had survived all that. Someone like _him_ had protected Hyperion’s assets and kept the mining locations a secret. Just the little PA who wasn’t a hero or a bad-ass or particularly good with weapons. Someone like _him_ had seriously withstood all that. Jack’s eridium supplies wouldn’t be compromised; Helios would remain up in the sky. All because he hadn’t let himself give in.

So yes, Rhys was a little giddy at the idea of what someone like _him_ was able to endure. He was overwhelmed with pride. 

The doctor said it was shock. Or at least, tried to before the CEO ordered them out.

Jack yelled. He ranted. He said no one’s company loyalty should run that deep. And Rhys just laughed and said he happened to have a crush on the president of said company and had a personal interest in keeping things afloat and running as per usual.

And Jack yelled some more and bitched about how stupid he was; how important he was; how the stupid company wouldn’t get shit done without the CEO’s right hand man there working beside him. And if Jack cried a bit while he ranted at the younger man, Rhys didn’t bring attention to it, but just smiled and let him do it.

Jack was infinitely gentle and careful to the younger man’s recovery once he was able to leave the hospital, still verbally berating him but just pleased to care for him and have him home. Jack had more respect for him than he’d previously thought possible to have for anyone, and he wasn’t sure if Rhys wasn’t far more bad-ass than he would ever be. 

The younger man had to undergo therapy and some cosmetic procedures for some of the more disfiguring scars about his body, telling Jack that they weren’t _all_ exactly bad; he _liked_ having Jack’s name on him even if the getting of it wasn’t exactly ideal and the script was less than neat. 

Rhys lamented the others, though. Said he wasn’t quite as pretty as before and joked that the CEO would replace him sooner than not with a newer, shinier model. Maybe literally since his cybernetics were still being rebuilt.

Jack had been quick to remove his mask for the younger man– something he’d never done before- to show the scars he bore of his own efforts and activities. The large inverted V which arced across his face and through a milky eye captured the PA’s attention. It looked painful to Rhys; he never knew exactly _what_ Jack had under his mask but he knew he had a disfigurement of some sort. He didn’t find himself at all averse to it and asked Jack why he covered it up when it made him more of a sexy bad-ass.

Jack checked the IVs Rhys still had at home and Rhys told him it wasn’t his damn painkillers and that he liked Jack’s face. The CEO replied that the young man was a bonafide bad-ass, far more so than Jack. He’d never get a new PA, otherwise he’d have to get a new _him_ first. 

Rhys smirked and told him that Jack’s scars were far cooler and he liked his more. Jack had wrapped careful arms around him and held him close, kissing his cheek and telling him sweet things; letting him know that Jack would be there whether he wanted the cosmetic procedures or not that simply wouldn’t work on Jack’s own face.

Rhys kissed him back and said maybe. For the moment though, he rather liked the idea of matching the older man in some ways since Jack refused to wear the socks Rhys had gotten him for his birthday. Now the older man wouldn’t have a choice.

Jack called him stupid, pet him gently, and told him to get some rest. 

Rhys’ scars were pretty bad, but he could keep them or get rid of them, Jack didn’t care either way. He respected the shit out of the younger man, _still_ on edge though he had Rhys back and safe with him. He remained close to him a long time after that, saw to his every need even after he was fully recovered. 

Jack saw to it that the younger man’s deeds were known– to an extent- about Helios, and that the scars he bore were never a subject of ridicule. People were wary of the PA in ways they’d never been before now with his reputation. Jack had to remind Rhys what a serious major bad-ass the younger man was, and that that was what it felt like to be a hero. Looked at with awe at a fearful, respectful distance. Breathe it in.

The smirk Rhys had given him made Jack snort. The kiss he gave him made the older man sort of ache. At least Rhys was able to wear his scars with pride. That much Jack could be content with.

**Author's Note:**

> Goddamn rhysie. Goddamn :(
> 
> [my tumblr](http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com/) | [my fic masterlist archive](http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com/post/134979026515/poisonjack-ao3-fic-archive) | [my twitter](https://twitter.com/PurgeThatUrge) | [my pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/PoisonJack)  
> (Just an FYI: you'll need to be logged in to tumblr for my blog to show up since it's marked explicit :D)
> 
> Please leave kudos and a comment if you enjoyed! ao3 FAQ: [Can I post comments anonymously, or if I don't have an Archive account? ](https://archiveofourown.org/faq/comments-and-kudos?language_id=en#anoncomment)


End file.
